Stefan Sagmeister and ekn Launch Data-Driven Sneaker and Boot for Paris Exhibition

Key facts

• Stefan Sagmeister collaborated with Frankfurt-based footwear brand ekn to create a sneaker and a boot visualizing global data.
• The sneaker, Bring It On, visualizes worldwide renewable electricity generation from 1965 to 2022, including hydro, wind, solar and other sources.
• The boot, Like a Complete Unknown, visualizes reported street homelessness across six countries using the OECD Affordable Housing Database.
• Homelessness figures range from 76 per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States to 46 in Germany, 16 in the United Kingdom, eight in France, five in Mexico and two in Japan.
• The designs accompany Sagmeister's exhibition Finally, Something Good., opening at La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris on October 15, 2026, and running until April 18, 2027.
• Both models are handmade in Portugal and available via pre-order from October 14 to November 15, 2026, with delivery in January 2027, in EU sizes 36 to 46.
• The boot retails for €350 and the sneaker for €300; 10% of each sale goes to the Coalition for the Homeless in New York (€35 per boot) and Future Cleantech Architects in Germany (€30 per sneaker).
• Sagmeister acknowledges the tension of selling a luxury boot addressing homelessness, while ekn founder Noel Klein-Reesink emphasizes responsible manufacturing through made-to-order production.